Giants win Super Bowl XLII, spoil Patriots' bid for perfection

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Tom Brady once again produced with
the game on the line. But this time, it was Eli Manning who
authored a perfect ending.

Manning upstaged a clutch performance by Brady with a brilliant
effort of his own, rallying the New York Giants to a stunning
17-14 victory over the previously undefeated New England
Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl XLII.

A double-digit underdog, the Giants (14-6) produced one of the
biggest upsets in Super Bowl history when Manning hit Plaxico
Burress for the game-clinching 13-yard touchdown pass with just
35 seconds to play.

"That's the position you want to be in," Manning, who was named
the game's Most Valuable Player. "You want the ball in your
hands - (three) minutes left, go down, you've got to score a
touchdown.

"That's where you want to be - a chance to win the game."

Manning's heroics denied the Patriots' bid to become just the
second team to complete a perfect season with a Super Bowl
championship, matching the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

"This is the greatest feeling in professional sports," Burress
said. "For us to come out here and win a world championship
tonight - nobody gave us a shot."

"Congratulations to the Giants," New England coach Bill
Belichick said. "They made some plays at the end and we didn't.
It's disappointing."

The winning touchdown came just over two minutes after Brady had
seemingly locked up a fourth title in seven years for New
England when he tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Randy Moss to
give the Patriots a 14-10 lead with 2:42 left.

"The New England Patriots are a great team, they really are,"
Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "It wasn't all pretty here
tonight, now. We had to battle hard to get this thing. But as
I told them last night, 'Other than family, the greatest feeling
in the world is when all of a sudden you realize you're a world
champion.'"

The much-maligned Manning had more than enough time to answer
Brady's touchdown pass and produce the winning score, marching
the Giants 83 yards in just 2:07 to win their third Super Bowl -
and first in 17 years.

"I'll tell you what, it's the greatest victory in the history of
this franchise, without question," Giants owner John Mara said.

Manning kept the winning drive alive by pulling off an imitation
of Michael Vick, escaping the grasp of two defenders and
lofting a 32-yard pass to David Tyree, who made a sensational
leaping catch by pressing the ball against his helmet as he
tumbled to the ground at the 24-yard line with 1:15 to play.

"It was just a great catch by David Tyree," Manning said. "I
found a way to get loose and just really threw it up. He made
an unbelievable catch and saved the game."

"That might be one of the great plays of all-time in the Super
Bowl," Coughlin added.

Four plays later, Manning floated a pass to Burress in the left
corner of the end zone for the winning score, capping a
remarkable run by the resilient Giants.

"It was just a fade route and they came with an all-out blitz,"
Manning said. "He ran right by him and made a great catch to
win the game."

"The offense put us in a great position and a chance to win a
Super Bowl," Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour said.
"Defensively we didn't get it done."

The dramatic finish also made it two consecutive titles for the
Manning family. Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a
victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI last season.

"Watching Peyton win last year and then the Giants win this
year, it's just unbelievable," Eli Manning said. "I'm so proud
of the guys on this team. We never had doubt, had total faith
in ourselves and we believed we would win and we earned it."

New York won three road playoff games en route to capturing the
championship as a No. 5 seed, duplicating the feat of the
Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005.

Manning completed 19-of-34 passes for 255 yards, two touchdowns
and an interception - his only one of the postseason - as New
York avenged a 38-35 loss to New England (18-1) in the
regular-season finale.

Brady finished 29-of-48 for 266 yards and one TD but was sacked
a season-high five times by the relentless New York defense,
which limited the record-setting Patriots offense to a
season-low point total.

"We had a great season, we just didn't win the game," Brady
said. "Tonight doesn't take away anything we have done over the
course of the season.

"They are a great team. They are very good on defense. You
score 14 points, I think that was our lowest total of the year,
and that got us beat."

Wes Welker was one of the few bright spots on offense for New
England, tying a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions for 103
yards. He also had 11 catches in the regular-season matchup vs.
the Giants.

"You have to give it to them. They played well out there,"
Welker said. "We've been able to close out games like that.
Unfortunately this time we weren't able to. Obviously we came
up short."

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who along with Toomer was
one of two players left over from the team that was clubbed by
the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl seven years ago, said
this victory erased the memory of that bitter defeat.

"I couldn't imagine a better season with this confetti falling,"
Strahan said. "I'm glad I got one last shot at least. This
team is something else."

With the Giants trailing, 7-3, entering the final quarter,
Manning moved the Giants 80 yards in six plays, capping it with
a 5-yard scoring pass over the middle to Tyree.

The big plays in the march were completions of 45 yards to
rookie tight end Kevin Boss and 17 yards to rookie wide receiver
Steve Smith.

It was the first touchdown of the season for Tyree and the first
TD allowed by New England's defense in 11 quarters.

"It's a lovely feeling," Tyree said. "I honestly came out here
and expected to have a great day."

The Giants turned away the Patriots' best scoring opportunity in
the third quarter by coming up with another big sack - this
time by Strahan - to force the Patriots into a 4th-and-13 at the
31-yard line.

It was the fourth sack endured by Brady, whose fourth-down pass
sailed out of bounds in the end zone after Belichick eschewed a
49-yard field goal attempt.

"Can somebody give out defense some credit?" Burress said.
"Them guys were out there playing phenomenal. We just hung in
there and kept executing, never got down on ourselves."

The 10 combined points through three quarters were the
second-fewest in the history of the game.

New England took a 7-3 into the intermission on Laurence
Maroney's 1-yard run on the opening play of the second quarter.
The Patriots held the slim lead despite the Giants controlling
the ball for 19:27 in the half.

Both teams scored the first time they touched the ball,
combining to set a Super Bowl record for fewest possessions in
the first quarter with two.

After electing to receive, the Giants ate up 9:59 on their
opening drive, culminating in a 32-yard field goal by Lawrence
Tynes for a 3-0 lead.

"I think their intensity from the beginning snap to the end of
the game was really higher than ours," Moss said. "We just
couldn't meet that intensity."

Manning was 5-of-7 for 38 yards as New York converted four
consecutive third downs before the opening drive stalled at the
14-yard line.

The Patriots answered right back, sparked by a 43-yard kickoff
return from Maroney.

The key play was a pass interference call on linebacker Antonio
Pierce against New England tight end Benjamin Watson in the end
zone.

On the first play of the second quarter, Maroney bulled in from
the 1-yard line to put the Patriots in front, 7-3.

"We were in the red zone three times in the beginning," Toomer
said. "We dominated the whole game. They were holding on and
expecting us to crack. They beat us the first time because we
cracked, and this time the Giants came through."

635roots

KingHockeyMan There were plays that defied logic. A catch to the helmet that was not bummed off the receivers helmet & hand w/QB-Eli running around & being grabbed 2-times & actually getting that pass off making a 1st-down. 3 factual happenings inside of 10 seconds of that 1 play that changed everything in that 4th quarter in that SB-game. PEACE!

anorexicivan what made me laugh about the whole post game interview of the hoody was that they had to find him cowaring in the locker room bathroom stalles where he was undoubtablly sitting on the pot bitching and sniffling about how they were supposed to win and how it is not fair at all they were the best and we should have won. props to elijia and his team and i was voting like crazy for justin tuck to get MVP throughout the third and fourth quarter but eli deserved what he got.

ekabrazi An ... I totally agree with you!! it was a classless act ... should not have happend & Goodell better levy a hefty fine for doing it in the National Spotlight ... Moss was heavily criticized when he did it as a player .. but one of the best NFl coaches doing during the SUPERBOWL ... inexcusable!!! he might just overtake Don Shula as a Classless Bitch?!?!?!?!?!?!?

GDawg I agree with anorexicivan ! Belichick is a pompous, arrogant jerk. Showed his true colors, and that's one big reason I don't like the Pats, that and Randy Moss's stupid "posturing" whenever he scores. At least his post game comments were mature and sportsman like. Belichick NEVER really gave the Giants the credit they deserved in his post game interview. He came across as a "sour mouthed sore loser" He also needs to hit the gym in the off season. he's a fatty !!! This was the best game ever !!!

anorexicivan overall i could have cared less because i really cannot stand the giants and i i loathe the tom brady train. But i enjoyed the pass rush and watching the pats not be able to move the ball. My girlfriend (JEMURRAY) and i were watching the game and she kept asking am i nervous because she was and she hates the pats as well. We both went nuts when Plexiglass caught the ball and after Moss didn't come up with the last catch. Now after the last play and there was a second left in the game and it was a turn over the hoody should have known the game was not over and not shown up his whole team, owner and region by walking off. I could care less when he didn't really shake mangini's hand or with his stupid press conferences but this is the sports biggest stage and where the league wants to show the world how the sport is to be played. What does this say to the world and all the little kids staying up past their bedtime about sportsmanship and about being mature. I know my friend ekabrazi will say he marches to the beat of a different drum and that we should cut him some slack beacuse him and his team have worked so hard and they lost and he was full of emotion but come on F that be a man for yourself and for your family at least. You get the big take a seat award for the year from me. Those of you that know the howard simon show in buffalo will get what i am saying.

I would not be happier if the hoody retires after this game and never coaches again and if the media has anything to do about it tom brady will coach and play and win at least eight more super bowls.

Erayx1 Just wanted to let everyone know that when the Patriots win some of your local New England SPORTS AUTHORITY stores will be opening right after the game for your Championship Merchandise and will also open at 6 am the following day. Please call your local store for times.

Scott Pats win this game, guaranteed. Eli was at the top of his game last time and couldn't get it done. Brady will prove to the world today that he is indeed the best QB of all time. Pats 34 giants 24

JMK13 19-0 my butt, those underdog Giants are gonna beat the crap out of the Pats like they have to all the other teams they were supposed to lose against. I'm not a Giants fan, but lets hear it for the biggest upset of the last decade!

anorexicivan yet another cheap ploy by the cheap dirty pats.... to go along with the dirtiest players in the league AKA harrison, seau, light and wilfork. Brady in a boot is a joke when did he get hurt he was never limping it is all bull and i think everyone with a mind will see that for what it is. Hoody is trying to get headlines and if the giants are morons they will believe it.